Mao for Beginners

Writers & Readers Documentary Comic Book #6

by Rius, Richard Appignanesi (Editor)

Introduction to Maoist thought.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Politics, Comics, China, Graphic Novels

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Rius was the pseudonym of Eduardo del Río García, the internationally acclaimed Mexican caricaturist and editorial cartoonist whose innovative work established a new field in comic strips: the political and documentary cartoon-book.

Reviews

[Logan Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good as an introduction, especially the first 2/3 about the history of China in the 19th and early 20th century, which I knew very little about aside from "seems pretty awful." This book is very much pro-Mao in its perspective, but I think Rius did a good job in illustrating how incredible of a feat it was for Mao and the red army to triumph over the Kuomintang, and how important the support of the peasantry was for that victory.

The last third felt extremely rushed and I feel like I learned very little. Important events like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution were barely examined, especially the latter. It felt like the author was trying to just avoid talking about it. It also seems that the flow of events started becoming derailed. Things just happened and insufficient context was supplied for me to understand. Then at the end Ruis literally wrote "The author admits he's as puzzled as everyone else about the direction China will now take." This was written in 1980 shortly after Mao's death, so I suppose that uncertainty makes sense, but it still makes me unsure about how much of an authority he is on China from the 1950s-1980.

[Kitty Red-Eye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this is an excellent book --- if you're a maoist. What about mentioning the largest man-made famine ever? Or any the disasters caused by Mao's "experiments", like the Great Leap "forward", or the Cultural Revolution? Apologetic propaganda piece if I ever saw one.

Two stars because it's useful to understand how the maoists outside of China want(ed) to present their ideology and "history", which is little more than historical fiction. A well-earned place of honour in my "crap" shelf.

[Zechy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the "... For Beginners" series. Mao is the most likeable of the Soviet/Socialist figures by a long shot. It's too bad how things went in China, Communism really was a step up from how it was before. unfortunately certain people started realizing how much power they had. Oh well.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sat down for a couple hours at my nearest library that carried this book and was absolutely worth the read. The other day, I picked up Rius' other book, "Introducing Marx - A Graphic Guide," and finished over the span of 2 days (it obviously did not take me the whole of both days to finish it). Being someone who is familiar with Marx, I wasn't expecting to gain that much novel knowledge, but I was wrong and it really changed how I though of him historically. I really enjoyed the book and was intrigued to see what his other books entailed. Mao for Beginners expanded my expectations of Rius as an author even more. This book, out of the two I have read by Rius, is by far my favorite, but that isn't saying much. Please give this book a try if you are interested.

[Dylan Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly but decently indepth look at the life of The Great Helmsman and his political philosophy.

The style of the book is refreshing; little doodles accompany the text, and their little blurbs distill Maoist thought better than some long-winded academics ever could.

Of course, the book is unabashedly pro-Mao and glances over the failures of the 1960s with a casual hand wave. As a primer on Maoist thought it worked surprisingly well, and delivered more than a few laughs out of me. Worth tracking down.

[Mandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow...this is a really biased book. It's very pro-Mao, but completely glosses over the really awful stuff that happened under him. I mean, he had to have been brave and inspirational, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to rally so many people & get to a place of leadership, but the same could be said of Hitler. Neither of them should be looked upon historically as "good guys". I gave it 2 stars because the information was interesting (although biased) and the format made it a quick & fun read.

[Erza · Rating 5 out of 5]

good for beginners + has pictures for easier comprehension and short attention! I'd say pretty unbiased, at certain points the writer themselves make comments like "what does he even mean by that" as some random person would also criticize Mao's words for, but then they give context and information of the aftermath of his words to make it make sense. Very educational and accessible.

[Rafael Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book translated in Filipino.

[Angela Hui]

random house published this?? wild lmao

[Sumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant introduction to Mao's China, it's genesis and its end. Uses some biased language but still manages to provide the reader a basic understanding of everything surrounding Mao's China.

[marloguxm · Rating 4 out of 5]

pp

[Hermine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read historiographically, though I appreciated it mostly for the pictures and its point-in-time-ness.

[Benjamin Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Those who regard Marxism-Leninism as religious dogma show…blind ignorance. We must tell them openly, 'Your dogma is of no use,' or use an impolite phrase,'Your dogma is less useful than excrement can fertilize the fields, and man's can feed the dog. And dogmas? They can't fertilize the fields, nor can they feed the dog. Of what use are they?"

"What was it that won over most villages to us? The Speak Bitterness sessions. We organized these in every village."

"'Draw the bow without shooting, just indicate the motions.' It is for the peasants themselves to cast aside the idols… it is wrong for anybody to do it for them."

"Night was long, dawn came slow to the Crimson Land.
centuries-old Demons whirled in a wild dance. And five hundred million were not as one.

Now at the cock-crow all under heaven is bright.
Music from all our people, from Yutien too.
And the poet is inspired as never before."

[Briana Grenert]

Someone gave this to me as a present.
I have never before read a book (or encountered any other media) that presented Mao in any sort of favorable light. I am sure there is much, but I have not been exposed to it. It was an engaging read on a subject which I must admit that I don't know as much as I'd like to.

[Waseem Abunnadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an 'okay' read. The books was very one sided with Mao. Although he does have his shortcomings, the book still manages to show the best in him.

I never knew much about Mao or the history of China. However, it's always good to know and learn. I'd look forward on reading more of these series.

I tead the first edition written in 1980. That was only shortly after Mao's death.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I really like these illustrated introductory guides. I first discovered them when I was going to write a report on Karl Marx for my philosophy in literature class in high school.

[Nativeabuse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helped me to understand the history of Mao and of pre-mao China. But didn't really help me to understand his actual policies or structures, or why he differed from the soviets in any meaningful ways.

Overall a great introduction, Rius is always awesome. But it only gave me half of what I wanted.

[Marianne Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of the set. It is a graphic snapshot of Moa's life and teachings.

[Philadelphia Tee-roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit I was completely ignorant about Mao until I was truly englightened by this very easy intro into the life of a freedom fighter by the artist and political genius rius

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

All these Rius books are excellent - great fun and educational

[Stan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An adequate introduction to Chinese history and Maoist politics for beginners from a sympathetic point of view. Strays too close to Great Man theory for my liking.

[Lisa]

It will be interesting to read this in the light of subsequent revelations about Mao and Tienanmen Square...